Flights to Montreal (YUL) are often expensive due to a combination of high airport taxes, limited competition, and surging demand. Canada has some of the highest "airport improvement fees" and security charges in the world, which are added directly to the ticket price. Furthermore, Montreal is a major global hub for the aerospace, tech, and gaming industries, leading to high year-round business travel demand that keeps prices elevated. Unlike many U.S. cities of a similar size, Montreal is primarily served by a "duopoly" of Air Canada and Air Transat for long-haul routes, and while budget carriers like Flair and Porter have expanded, they still lack the massive scale to drive down prices on all routes. Seasonality also plays a role; Montreal’s world-renowned festival season in the summer and its proximity to major ski resorts in the winter create peak demand periods where seats sell at a premium. Lastly, the geographic location of Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport as a gateway to both Europe and the rest of Canada makes it a high-traffic "choke point" where demand frequently outstrips the available seat capacity.